Material handling apparatus



July 2, 1935.

I H. H. MERWIN 2,006,404

Filed Jan. 10, 1954 FIG. 2.

34\ .37 36 33 T d 7 i I l i 35 u INVENTOR A TTORNEY July 2, 1935.

H. H. MERWIN MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS \FIG. 3.

Filed Jan. 10, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR H. H. MERW/N ATTORNEY Patented JulyZ, 1935 2.19064 i i l MATERIAL HANDLINGAPPARA'IUS Harry H. Merwin, Rutherford, IN. 3. assignorto Western ElectridCo'r'npany, Incorporated, New York, a corporation of New York h Application :JanuaryJlO,

1934, Serial Nor 705,987

This invention relates to material handling apparatus and more particularly 'to. machines having interchangeable material supplyor take! up means which aremounted on spindles or the like to'be both rotatable on their own axes and revoluble about another axis not parallel thereto. In machines of such kind the supplyrortakeup spools or the like are often-subjected to. cycli.-. cally varying and even cyclically reversed centrif- 1 ugal stresses having a' componentin the direction of the axis of the spool. These are effective to rack the. bearings on which the spoolturns as strand is drawn therefrom, tend tovarynthe resistance of the spool to turning andthusim-L 3 pose a varying tension upon the strandmbeing drawn therefrom, and also tend toxloosen .the

-means whereby the reels-are attached to 'the.

3 0 tional resistance to the withdrawal of their strands at the moment when the other pair is least affected. J 'It is anobject of the present invention to provide a simple, strong and effective mounting for a rotatable element which shall permit of quick and easy interchange of elements mounted thereon and which shall be affected to a minimum extent by varying stresses along the axis of rotation. l

'With this and other objects in view an illus trative embodiment of the invention comprises a spindle withdrawably mounted in a bearingiat either end, the bearings being carried by any 'desired framework. The spindle is free both to rotate and to slide axially in one of the'bearings, but means., are providedatthe other bearing to prevent axial'motion of the spindle therein while permitting freedom of rotation. These latter meansare releasable to permit of withdrawal ofthespindle for interchanging a'spool mounted thereon." E A Other objects and characteristic features of'the inventionwill clearly appear from the following detailed description. of illustrative embodiments i thereof: .takfln in. connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which the same reference numeral'sare applied to identical parts figures and in which i Fig.1 is a diagrammatic'view of a supply spool carrying yoke of a cable making machine em-"- bodying'the invention; 1 Fig. -2' isa {detached enlarged broken view in central longitudinal-section of the spool, spindle and mountings ofFig. 1'; --Fig.'3''is asimilar view of a modified form; '-Fig."4- is a transverse sectional view on the line- 4- lof Fig. 2, and' Fig. 51s a similar view Fig.3.; I

- In the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 4;

on the line 5 -5 of the machine has a frame 10 revoluble about 'an' axis running from left to right in the plane of the applicableisfillustrated in U. S. Patent No.

1','1()4,'0'? 8 "for a Twisting machine, issued July 21 1914151 an application of William F. Smith]? "A sleeve I1 is mounted freely on thejspindle l6 nearits lefthand end (Fig. 2), and'is providedv with a coneat' the right to enter the central bore or the'spool l5to support the left'end of ,the same. The left-portion of the sleeve I1 isformed' as a plain-cylindrical male bearing member supported in a bearing sleeve l8 carried by the 'yoke' ll. -"lhe sleeve I1 is further formed with a shouldei'f' l 9 eng agin'g a thrust collar 20 carried by'the'yoke il and fastened thereto by pins 21' or in any appropriate manner. A thrust block 22 is attached to the left hand face or the sleeve-ll byscrews 23 and-engages a thrust collar :24 also carriedby the yoke II and attached thereto by pins v p A centrallyperforatedcover plate 26 is mount ed on the" yoke by screws 21 and is provided with an appropriate recess to receive and ho usea slidable perforated plate-like latch member 28. This latch 28 has limited vertical freedom of motion and *isconstantly; urged downwardly' by a spring-.293" p -A--h'and' wheel 30 1s" rigidly mounted on the left in the several hand end of the spindle by a taper pin 3|. The right hand sleeve like extension of the wheel is formed with a circumferential groove 32 to receive the latch 28 which prevents any accidental displacement of the spindle.

The right end of the spool I5 is supported on the conical left hand end of a sleeve 33 on the right hand end of the spindle I 6. The main body of the sleeve is cylindrical and is freegto slide and to rotatein abearing 34 mountedin the yoke H.

The right hand extremity of the spindle is formed with a male thread to coact with a corresponding female thread in me pore pfgthe sleeve 33, and a hand wheel 36 is mounted on the end of the sleeve with a press ;fit;and' keyed-theretobyscrews31. k

Assuming now that there is no spool in position and that it is desired-i0.lnquntione holding the hand wheel 30 motionless and rotating the hand wheel 36 the sleeve 33 is disengaged from heiihr'eaded. end 350i thespiad efirmwa es: sateen t latch 2. ih nrelea e the le ter {tram the groove 32 and the spindle may nwa the le i mthe s e v 33 an i s-b ban re sa pear n o s eev 4 ,1.

A spool I5 is then placed in ;posi;tioh;and the;

spin le sh dbee 't e ts metre a ain supne te b t e sl ve 3.- .ll e la ch-2,8 r es up on the sloping right hand extremity ;3 8 o f the sleeve .Of the rhandwheel 39', and drops into the The spool is now free to rotate with the sleeves I] and 33 in the bearings l8 and .34, but is held against any lateral motion by the thrust hers l9 and 22 coacting with members ill! and 24. At the same timeprovision is madefg r minor variations in spool length and for temperature changes in the dimensions of the yolgaetc. by the freedom of the sleeve 33 to move longitudinally in the bearing 34. Should the sleeve 33 accidentally lQOsenon the threads v3.5, the spindle is still locked in place by the latch 28 L a 7 Provision may be made for spools of considerably ,diifering lengths by providing an appropriate number of sleeves 33 "of suitably varying Figs. 3 and 5 disclose a iorm--of--the same embodiment of the invention which spin l 15 of a t k refills sar ie 'near its left hand end in a sleeved! formed toward the right with a cone toengage and support a. reel or spool or the like [5. 'At the left thesleeve l1 carries a double ball race 40 press fitted thereon and further'held by the mean mar-hi t sleeve I! by screws 23. Anti-friction bearing bails 4| run in the ball race .40 also in an outer concentric ball race'42. The .42 is rigidly held between an appropriately recessed block 43 and a cover plate 44 held mpneep the block by screws 45. The block 43 is integral with or attached to the yoke or s'upport l l by appropriate means not shownsuch as screws or welding. On the inner face of the block 431s a cover member 46 attached thereto bythe screws and having internal passageways 41 leading to the balls by which lubricating matter be e t e b b a ng ou an inlet P pe 48,. I

To force H, a square collar 49 is fastened on the spindle by a Pin 5 and is ses edin a qe rs eend ns som screws '31.

the e i d E ee t? with t eve.

recess in the block 22. The spindle is held against accidental longitudinal displacement by a latch member 28 pivoted at one end at 5| on the cover plate 44 and notched at its other end to fit over a headed screw stud 52 also mounted on the cover late. p The left hand end of the spindle is provided as before with a hand Wheel 30 fastened thereon by a.;;p in-3l,;;andthe latch member 28 rides in a circumferential groove 32 around thespindle l6 between the collar 49 and the stem of the hand wheel.

{El e spindle 136 as before is mounted in a sleeve 33 having at its right hand end a hand wheel 36 ,IIIGSF-fittedon the sleeve and keyed thereto with The sleeve is positioned on and attached to the spindle as before by being formed with-a female thread coaoting with a male thread .35 gntheslightly reduced end of the spindle. The sleeve is provided externally with a broad collar 6d ikeyed to :thelsleeve by .a-keyfiZ. The key .63 is iprovided with .a short radially extending lug afltting into a corresponding shallow recess in the irmersur-face of .the collar.

raceway 6.3..is positioned on the collar andiahuts .at its left side againsta stop shoulder formeden thecollar ,andlat its right side against aidouble locking member 10, ll threaded on .the collar as shown.

sBearingl balls .64 .are positioned between and run inthe raceway 6.3 and in a corresponding outer rmewayifi i. The raceway is supportedilbyand olampcdbetween a block 65 and a: cover plate 61 fastened together and to asupport 63 by screws 6 9.. :The support 681s integral with the. yoke H Jor. is attached thereto by means not shown suohxns screws or welding. :7

.Theisleeve .33 is longitudinally .slidable in :the collar '61 but is held against rotation therein by izlaekeyifl. Inithis illustration the reel 15 is thought of as. atake-npreeland so means are provided to drive the reeLcomprisinga member 73 mountedton'and rigid y attached :to .the sleeve 1] .as by screws J4. Thismember maybee. g. a .gearsor pulley .or when element driven .bymeans not shown and inturn jmay drive .thespool 15 not only by the frigtionalengagement .of the'sleeve ll therewith but also, if desired, by the direct engagement of aaspringipressed plunger. 15 mountedon'the membfl ili with a-corresponding recess in the spool head or by some other appropriate device, the detailsiof .such means being not pertinent to the present invention. While the invention is .disclosed as embodied in a strand handling apparatus it :is evidently qually applicable inany apparatus for handling smled or'neeled .materials.

The embodiments of the invention herein .disclosed are merely illustrative and may be modilied and departed from in many waysiwithout depsrtingyfrom the spirit and scope of the invention .asrointedout in and limited only by the a pended claims.

V is claimed is:

- 1. In a reelable material handling apparatus a support, a bearing therein, a sleeve rotatable in the bearing and confined thereby against axial di placement and adapted to engage a reel to support the same, a second bearing inuthe support, a second sleeve rotatable and axially' dis placeable therein and adapted to engage a reel, 4 spindle positioned in both sleeves, and me'ans tnsecnrethe spindle toithe second, sleeve. T 1

. 3,1; areelablegmaterial handling apparatima H support, a bearing therein, a sleeve rotatable in the bearing and confined thereby against axial displacement and adapted to engage a reel to support the same, a second bearing in the support, a second sleeve rotatable and axially displaceable therein and adapted to engagea reel, a spindle positioned in both sleeves, and means to detachably secure the spindle to the second sleeve.

3. In a reelable material handling apparatus,"

a support, a bearing therein, a sleeve rotatable in the bearing and confined thereby against axial displacement and adapted to engage a reel to support the same, a second bearing in the support, a second sleeve rotatable and axially displaceable therein and adapted to engage a reel, a spindle positioned in both sleeves, and means to detachably secure the spindle to the second sleeve and thereby secure a reel placed thereon between the two sleeves.

4. In a reelable material handling apparatus, a support, a bearing therein, a sleeve rotatable in the bearing and confined thereby against axial displacement and adapted to engage a reel tosupport the same, a second bearing in the support, a second sleeve rotatable and axially vdisplaceable therein and adapted to engage a reel, a spindle positioned in both sleeves, and means to prevent relative axial displacement of the spindle and the first sleeve.

5. In a. reelable material handling apparatus, a support, a bearing therein, a sleeve rotatable in the bearing and confined thereby against axial displacement and adapted to engage a reel to support the same, a second bearing in the support, asecond sleeve rotatable and axially displaceabletherein and adapted to engage a reel, a spindle positioned in both sleeves, means to secure the spindle to the second sleeve, and means to prevent relative "axial displacement of the spindle and the first sleeve.

6. In a reelable material handling apparatus, a reel support comprising a supporting member, a spindle, a rotatable bearing in the member adapted to receive the spindle with'freedom to slide axially, a second rotatable bearing in the member to receive the spindle, and releasable means to prevent relative axial displacement of the spindle and the'bearing, including a groove on the spindle and a perforated latch member carried by the supporting member through which the spindle passes and movable into and out of engagement in the groove.

' HARRY H. MERWIN. 

